Team of the day
LSU
The Tigers really couldn't have started their road series against Arkansas in more impressive fashion, beating the Razorbacks 6-2 in front of 10,167 fans. LSU sophomore right-handed pitcher Aaron Nola was tremendous against the Hogs, striking out 10, walking one and allowing two runs on four hits in a complete game performance. Offensively, designated hitter Sean McMullen smacked a home run in the game, while catcher Ty Ross had a hit and two RBIs.
Upset of the day
Southern California over Arizona State
Sean Silva, the left-handed hurler for the Trojans, struck out four, walked one and allowed just one run in six shutout frames in a 5-0 home win over Arizona State. The Trojans also got a solid performance from Brent Wheatley, who came out of the bullpen and tossed three hitless frames to preserve the victory. USC's offense touched up ASU starting pitcher Trevor Williams for five runs (four earned) on 12 hits in eight innings.
Player of the day
Ethan Mildren, RHP, Pittsburgh
Mildren didn't rack up a gaudy amount of strikeouts against Notre Dame, but was consistent and efficient in a 4-0 home win over the Fighting Irish. Mildren struck out three, walked two and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout of a powerful Notre Dame offensive lineup.
The good
Michigan State: Spartans veteran right-handed pitcher Andrew Waszak put together a masterful performance in a 2-1 win over sizzling Indiana. Waszak struck out five, walked none and allowed just one run on seven hits in eight innings of work. The bullpen also did a masterful job with Trey Popp and Justin Alleman combining for three shutout frames to end the contest.
Georgia Tech: The Yellow Jackets had a rough showing last weekend against Duke, but bounced back in impressive fashion Friday night with a 2-1 win over Virginia. GT senior right-handed pitcher Buck Farmer struck out 10, walked one and allowed just a run on 10 hits in a complete game performance, while catcher Zane Evans led the offense with two hits and an RBI.
Mississippi: The Rebels certainly have struggled the past couple of weeks, but started the weekend on the right foot with a 6-0 win over Alabama. Junior right-handed pitcher Bobby Wahl struck out three, walked five and allowed one hit in six shutout frames, while at the plate, designated hitter Will Allen had two hits, one a home run, and two RBIs.
Florida: Gators head coach Kevin O'Sullivan feels like his team has been playing an improved brand of baseball the past couple of weeks. Well, that showed Friday night in a 4-3 win over South Carolina to clinch a huge series win. The UF bullpen did a terrific job with Mike Vinson leading the way, while at the plate, outfielder Harrison Bader had a hit and two RBIs.
Baylor: Oklahoma stud junior right-handed pitcher Jonathan Gray struck out 10 in eight innings of work, but the Bears got to the OU bullpen in the ninth inning with a walk-off home run, via Cal Towey, to take home a 2-1 triumph. BU right-handed pitcher Dillon Newman was terrific in the game, striking out five, walking none and allowing just a run on six hits in 8 1/3 innings.
UCF: The Knights need an incredibly strong finish to the regular season to have a chance at an NCAA postseason appearance, and Chris Matulis gave Terry Rooney just what he needed in a 5-1 win over Rice. Matulis struck out four batters, though, he walked eight, and allowed a run on seven hits in eight innings. Jeremy Matos led UCF at the plate with two hits and an RBI.
Pepperdine: Waves third baseman Austin Davidson went 2-for-3 with a home run, a run scored and three RBIs, as Pepperdine captured an impressive 7-4 road win over San Diego to start the weekend. Hutton Moyer and Kolten Yamaguchi each had two hits for the Waves, while on the mound, right-hander Scott Frazier allowed four runs (two earned) on six hits in seven innings. He also struck out eight batters.
Troy: The Trojans are playing a pretty solid brand of baseball these days, beating Western Kentucky 11-3 to take a 1-0 series lead. Trojans designated hitter Matthew Howard went 3-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs, while on the mound, starting pitcher Tanner Hicks struck out eight and walked three, while allowing jus three runs in eight innings.
Mississippi State: Bulldogs left-handed pitcher Luis Pollorena allowed two runs on five hits in 6 1/3 innings of work, while versatile outfielder Hunter Renfroe had two hits, one a home run, and two RBIs, as the Bulldogs captured a very important 3-2 win over Texas A&M to begin the weekend. The Aggies wasted a good performance by Daniel Mengden, who allowed three runs on four hits in seven innings.
Georgetown: The Hoyas have been surprisingly solid this season, improving to 20-11 overall, 4-3 in the Big East with a 3-0 win over St. John's. Hoyas starting pitcher Jack Vander Linden struck out four, walked one and allowed just four hits in eight shutout innings, while second baseman Danny Poplawski had two hits and an RBI.
Mercer: The Bears took an impressive step forward Friday night in a 7-6 win over Florida Gulf Coast. Bears designated hitter Nick Backlund went 2-for-2 with a home run to lead the offense, while outfielder Derrick Workman had a double, a run scored and two RBIs. Reliever David Teasley rose to the occasion in his three innings of work.
Florida State: The Seminoles were very impressive in a dominant 16-2 home win over Duke. Seminoles second baseman John Sansone went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two runs scored and four RBIs, while Marcus Davis had a home run and three RBIs and leadoff hitter Brett Knief went 3-for-4 with two RBIs to help lead the charge. On the mound, hard-throwing right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver struck out six, walked none and allowed just a run on six hits in seven innings.
North Carolina: Tar Heels left-handed pitcher Kent Emanuel didn't have his best stuff against Virginia Tech, but it didn't matter as the Heels captured a dominant 21-8 win over the Hokies. Heels outfielder Chaz Frank went 4-for-6 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBIs, while third baseman Colin Moran had a huge day at the plate, too, going 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and four RBIs. Also give much credit to leadoff hitter Brian Holberton, who had four hits and scored five runs.
The bad
Houston: The Cougars took a step back last weekend with a road series loss to Marshall. Now they're in a hole this weekend against Seton Hall after dropping the series opener 11-1. UH starting pitcher Daniel Poncedeleon allowed four runs on five hits and didn't get out of the first inning, while SHU starting pitcher Jon Prosinski struck out nine and allowed just one run on seven hits in eight innings.
Loyola Marymount: If the Lions are going to make the NCAA postseason at the end of the year, they have start winning some important RPI contests. LMU put itself in a hole Friday night with a 2-0 loss to UCLA. LMU starting pitcher Colin Welmon once again tossed a gem. However, the offense was unable to get anything going against UCLA pitching, particularly right-handed starting pitcher Adam Plutko, who struck out eight, walked two and allowed three hits in seven shutout innings.
Sam Houston State: The Bearkats couldn't have started the weekend in worse fashion than they did against Lamar, dropping a 19-8 decision. SHSU starting pitcher Cody Dickson had a performance to forget against the Cardinals, striking out four, walking five and allowing 11 runs on eight hits in just 3 2/3 innings.
Campbell: Camels starting pitcher Ryan Mattes allowed just three runs (two earned) on 10 hits in 7 1/3 innings, but the offense was unable to do much against Longwood in a 3-2 home setback. LU starting pitcher Kyler Morgan allowed no earned runs and just six hits in seven innings.
Ohio State: It's safe to say the Buckeyes had a tough night on the diamond in an 11-2 road loss to Nebraska. Usually reliable OSU starting pitcher Jaron Long allowed nine runs on 13 hits in 4 1/3 innings of work, while the offense was unable to do much against Nebraska's pitching staff.
Top performances
Sean Hagen, C, Eastern Kentucky: Hagen had an afternoon to remember for the Colonels in a 30-4 win over Tennessee-Martin. Hagen went 5-for-7 with two doubles, two runs scored and seven RBIs to lead the offensive charge.
Preston Morrison, RHP, TCU: The Horned Frogs haven't done much offensively this season, including Friday night, but Morrison led the charge on the mound in a 2-0 win over Oklahoma State. Morrison struck out four, walked one and allowed eight hits in 8 1/3 shutout frames.
Matt Boyd, LHP, Oregon State: Boyd has been terrific this spring and put another good performance together in a 1-0 win over Utah. He struck out eight, walked two and allowed just two hits in a complete game shutout and win over Utah.
Taylor Black, RHP, Texas State: The talented right-handed pitcher put together a solid performance as the Bobcats captured a 1-0 home win over Louisiana Tech. Black struck out six and allowed four hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings. He threw 113 pitches, 64 for strikes.
Chase Greening, RHP, Stephen F. Austin: The talented right-handed pitcher put together a solid performance in the Lumberjacks' 3-0 win over McNeese State. He struck out 10, walked two and allowed just two hits in 8 1/3 shutout innings.
Alex Gonzalez, RHP, Oral Roberts: The right-handed junior put together a solid performance as the Golden Eagles captured a 6-2 win over Southeastern Louisiana. He struck out nine, walked three and allowed a run on two hits in seven innings of work.
Calvin Orth, 1B, The Citadel: Orth had a big-time offensive performance as the Bulldogs captured an 11-0 win over Georgia Southern. Orth went 3-for-5 with two homers, two runs scored and five RBIs to lead the offensive cause.
Connor Harrell, OF, Vanderbilt: Harrell had quite the night to remember in a win over Missouri to start an important SEC series. He went 3-for-5 with two homers, three runs scored and four RBIs to lead the Commodores at the plate.
Chad Green, RHP, Louisville: Green was his usual self in a 10-1 win over Elon. He struck out five, walked one and allowed a run on five hits in eight innings of work. He also threw 99 pitches, 66 for strikes.
Brandon Thomasson, DH, Tennessee Tech: The Golden Eagles captured an impressive 20-5 win over Eastern Illinois to start the weekend. Thomasson went 3-for-5 with a double, home run, two runs scored and six RBIs to lead the offensive charge.
Michael Cederoth, RHP, San Diego State: The sophomore hard-throwing right-handed pitcher helped the Aztecs capture a 4-2 win over Air Force. He struck out 11, walked two and allowed just two runs on four hits in a complete game performance.
Cale Elam, RHP, Wichita State: The talented right-handed pitcher put together a big-time performance in a 4-0 win over Bradley. Elam struck out 13, walked none and allowed five hits in a complete game shutout. He also threw 118 pitches, 80 for strikes.
Devin Moore, RHP, Indiana State: The Sycamores have to be pleased with the way Moore threw in a 6-1 win over Creighton. He struck out six, walked three and allowed a run, not earned, and four hits in seven strong innings.
Taylor Williams, RHP, Kent State: The hard-throwing right-hander put together a solid performance in a 2-1 win over Miami (OH). He struck out 11, walked two and allowed just a run on six hits in seven innings of work.
Nick Regnier, OF, Central Michigan: The Chips leadoff hitter had an impressive performance in a 19-2 win over Ball State. He went 4-for-7 with a double, two runs scored and four RBIs.
Jake Long, RHP, Wisconsin-Milwaukee: Long has really put together a nice campaign for the Panthers. He had another good performance in a 4-0 road win over Saint Louis. He struck out three, walked two and allowed just five hits in a complete game shutout.
Jake Drehoff, LHP, Southern Mississippi: Drehoff has been a bit more consistent here as of late, tossing a gem in a 1-0 home win over Marshall. He struck out eight, walked two and allowed just seven hits in 7 2/3 shutout innings. He threw 98 pitches, 63 strikes.
Jeff Hoffman, RHP, East Carolina: What an impressive performance Hoffman put together in a 3-2 road win over Tulane. Hoffman went the ultimate distance for the Pirates, striking out six, walking two and allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits in 9 2/3 innings of work.
Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Cal State Fullerton: The freshman right-hander just continues to impress, tossing another gem in a win over UC Santa Barbara. He struck out seven, walked one and allowed a run on five hits in eight innings. Amazingly, the walk was his first of the season.
Preston Morrison, RHP, TCU: The right-handed sophomore was special in a 2-0 win over Oklahoma State. Morrison struck out four, walked one and allowed eight hits in 8 1/3 shutout innings.d
David Kerian, 1B, Illinois: Kerian had a big-time performance as the Illini captured a 17-12 win over Purdue. Kerian went 4-for-4 with a double, home run, three runs scored and six RBIs. He also recorded a stolen base in the contest.
Jimmy Reed, LHP, Maryland: The veteran left-handed pitcher didn't get a decision against Miami, but was excellent. He struck out 10, walked three and allowed just three hits in a complete game shutout.